Meat-tenderer.



' A No.` 881,204. l PATENTBD MAR. 10', 1908,

p if zo. y,

G. IE.v SMITH. MEAT TENDBRER.

APPLVIOATIQN' FILED MAY 24. 1907,

A TIGR/v5 Ys To all whom it may concern:

UNTTED sTETEs PATENT oEEroE.

GEORGE EDWARD SMITH, OF WINNFIELD, LOUISIANA.

i MEAT-TENDERER.

Be it known that I, GEORGE EDWARD SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVinneld, in the parish of Winn and State of Louisiana, haveinvented a new and useful Meat-Tenderer, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for treating toughsteaks and other meats whereby they are rendered more palatable withoutlacking the juices thereof, and it has for its purpose to provide animproved machine of this character that is capable of receiving steaksand other meats of varying thicknesses with and without the bones, thenovel construction of the rolls serving to break up the sinews and otherrelatively tough portions of the meats and accommodating themselvesautomatically to the thickness of the meat being treated, the rollsbeing so mounted that they may be readily removed and cleansed.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novelfeatures of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, whichwill be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out particularlyin the appended claims. In the-accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a meat tenderer constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. Fig. 2 shows the device as viewed from the left in Fig. 1,portions being shown in section. Fig. 3 represents'a cross sectionthrough the coperating rolls.

Correspondin parts in the several figures are indicated t roughout lbysimilar characters of reference.

The device shown in the present embodiment of my invention comprises aframe 1 adapted to support the device and to provide a suitable meanswhereby it may be fixed in position, the frame shown in the presentinstance embodying a plate or relatively flat portion adapted to restupon the top of a table or other relatively fixed support and having anarm 2 provided with a clamping screw 3, the latter being adjustablerelatively to the plate and serving to clamp said plate on its support.On the upper side of the frame are secured a pair of bearing standards 4which maybe formed integrally with the frame, or they may be composed ofstrips of flat metal,.as shown, the intermediate portion of each strip,5, being fastened by screws or other means. 6 to Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application led May 24, 1907.

Patented March 10, 1908. serial No. 375,514.

the top of theframe, and the ends of the strip being extended upwardlyin substantially parallel relation and provided with semi-cylindricalbearing sections 7 Yand 8, which are preferably arranged at the outersides of the arms that are thus formed on the standards. The standardsare preferably composed of resilient material in order that the armsthereof carrying the bearing sections may be capable of a relativeproximating and separating movement, the purpose of f which will behereinafter described.

Between the arms of each standard are mounted a pair of slides 9 and 10which are adapted to move vertically relatively to the frame and areprovided at their upper ends with semi-cylindrical bearing sections 11and 12, which are turned outwardly and arranged to coperate with thebearin sections 7 and 8 on the standard when the s ides are in theirlowermost position, an upward movement of the slides serving to move thebearing sections thereon out of cooperative relation with those on thestandard.

Any suitable means may be employed for retaining the slide in givenrelation to the standard, the devices shown in the present instance foraccomplishing this purpose comprising screws or bolts 13 and 14 carriedby the slides and projecting outwardly through the slots 15 and 16 inthe coperating standard arms, ,whereby the bolts are permitted tooperate longitudinally of the slots when the slides are adjustedrelatively to the standard, thumb nuts 17 and 18 coperating with theouter ends of the screws or bolts and serving toclamp the slides againstthe inner sides of the respective arms of the standard. Each standard isreferably constructed in the manner just c escribed.

The tendering rolls between which the meat to be treated is to passcomprise thel approximately cylindrical portions 19 and 20 arranged onparallel axes and extending between the standards, each roll beingrovided with a pair of journals 22 and 23 a apted to coperate with thebearing sections on the slides and standards, one of the rolls havingits journal portion prolonged to form an operating end. 24 which isangular in shape and adapted to receive an operating crank 25, thedevice shown in the present instance being adapted for manual operation.

The body portions of the rolls are preferably formed as duplicates, andthey are provided with angular grooves 26 and 27 eX- tendingcircumferentially and longitudinally of each roll, the inclined sides ofthe grooves forming a series of symmetrically arranged projections 2S ofsubstantially pyramidal form, the projections preferably covering theentire surface of each roll and are spaced substantiallyY equi-distantlylongitudinally and circumferentially.

In some cases it may be unnecessary to operatively connect the rolls sothat the turning e'ort is applied to both of them, but it is generallypreferable to operatively connect them, the devices shown in the presentinstance for accomplishing this purpose comprising a pair of spur gears29 and 30 fixed to the respective rolls and serving to insuresimultaneous rotation at a uniform speed. In some cases, it may bedesirable to mount the rolls in fixed relation, the rolls in such a casebeing capable of producing a considerable pressure upon the meat fromwhich the' bones have been previously removed, but it is generallypreferable to so construct the device that the rolls are capable ofaccommodating themselves to meats of various thicknesses as well asthose from which the bones have not been removed, and to this end theslides carrying the upper bearing sections are yieldingly connected bythe helical tension springs 31 the teeth of the spur gears in thepresent instance being relatively long in order that the gears mayremain in cooperative relation during the lateral displacements of therolls.

A meat tenderer constructed in accordance with the present invention iscomposed of a few parts that are simple in construction, enabling thedevice to be manufactured cheaply, and the novel form of the rollsinsures a thorough breaking of the sinews and other relatively toughportions of the meat as the latter passes between them, and as thedevice is capable of receiving the meats with the bones and Without thenecessity of adjustment, the meat tendering operation will be materiallyfacilitated. Moreover, the rolls are so mounted that they may be readilyremoved for cleansing and other purposes.

l/Vhat is claimed is l. In a device of the character described, thecombination With a frame, and bearing standards mounted thereon andprovided With pairs of bearing sections, of a pair of cooperativelyarranged rolls journaled in the bearing sections of the said standards,slides adjustable relatively to the standards and provided with bearingsections arranged to cooperate with those on the respective standards,and devices for retaining the slides in fixed relation to the standards.

2. ln a device of the character described, the combination with a frame,and a pair of standards mounted thereon each standard embodying a pairof relatively adjustable arms and each arm .having a bearing sectionthereon, of a pair of cooperatively arranged rolls having their endsjournaled in the bearing sections on the arms of the standards, andcoiled springs connecting the arms ol the standards for yieldinglyproximating the rolls.

3. ln a device of the character described, the combination with a frame,and a pair of bearing standards mountedv thereon each composed of astrip of resilient material having its intermediate portion fixed to theframe and having its ends extending upwardly therefrom in parallelism toform a pair of relatively movable bearing arms, and bearings mountedupon the free ends of the said arms, of a pair of cooperatively arrangedrollers `iournaled in the said'bearings, and springs interposed betweenthe arms of cach standard and normally acting to proximate the rolls.

Ll. In a device of the character described, the combination with aframe, and a pair ol bearing standards mounted thereon each embodying apair of substantially parallel bearing arms provided with bearingsections on their free ends, of a pair of cooperatively arranged rollshaving their ends `iournaled in the bearing sections on the said arms, apair of slides arranged to cooperate with the inner sides of the arm ofeach standard and having bearing sections arranged to cooperate withthose on thc standards, and devices cooperating with the said slides andthe respective arms of the standard. for retaining them in fixedrelation.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing` as my own, l have heretoaliixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EDlVARD Shll'lll.

litnesses FRANK CRAIG, l. K. ABEL.

